Geography of Malawi#Extreme points
{{Short description|none}}
Malawi is a landlocked country in southeast Africa. It is wholly within the tropics; from about 9.30°S at its northernmost point to about 17°S at the southernmost tip. The country occupies a thin strip of land between Zambia and Mozambique, extending southwards into Mozambique along the valley of the Shire River. In the north and north east it also shares a border with Tanzania. Malawi is connected by rail to the Mozambican ports of Nacala and Beira. It lies between latitudes 9° and 18°S, and longitudes 32° and 36°E.
The Great Rift Valley runs through the country from north to south. Lake Malawi lies within the rift valley, making up over three-quarters of Malawi's eastern boundary.Cutter, Africa 2006, p. 142 The Shire River flows down the rift valley from the south end of the lake to join the Zambezi River farther south in Mozambique.
Plateaus and mountains lie to the east and west of the Rift Valley. The Nyika Plateau lies west of Lake Malawi in the north of the country. The Shire Highlands lie in southern Malawi, east of the rift valley and Shire River and south of Lake Malawi. The Zomba and Mulanje mountain peaks rise from the highlands to respective heights of {{convert|7000|and|10000|ft|m|order=flip|abbr=off|sigfig=2}}.
Malawi has two sites listed on the UNESCO World Heritage List. Lake Malawi National Park was first listed in 1984 and the Chongoni Rock Art Area was listed in 2006.Turner, The Statesman's Yearbook, p. 824 Malawi's climate is hot in the low-lying areas in the south of the country and temperate in the northern highlands.
Geography
File:Monoxylon beach Lake Malawi 1557.jpg on the shore of Lake Malawi]]
The Great Rift Valley traverses the country from north to south. In this deep trough lies Lake Malawi (also called Lake Nyasa), the third-largest lake in Africa, comprising about 25% of Malawi's area. Lake Malawi is sometimes called the Calendar Lake as it is about {{convert|365|mi|km|order=flip|abbr=on}} long and {{convert|52|mi|km|order=flip|abbr=on}} wide.{{cite journal|author=Douglas, John|date=Summer 1998|title=Malawi: The Lake of Stars|url=http://www.travelafricamag.com/content/view/231/56/|url-status=dead|journal=Travel Africa|issue=4|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090114161419/http://www.travelafricamag.com/content/view/231/56/|archive-date=14 January 2009|access-date=22 August 2008}} The surface of Lake Malawi is located at {{convert|1500|ft|m|order=flip|abbr=on}} above sea level, with a maximum depth of {{convert|2300|ft|m|order=flip|abbr=on}}, which means the lake bottom is over {{convert|700|ft|m|order=flip|abbr=on}} below sea level at some points. The Shire River flows from the south end of the lake and joins the Zambezi River {{convert|400|km|mi|abbr=on}} south in Mozambique.
West of the Great Rift Valley, the land forms high plateaus, plateaus rise generally {{convert|3000|to|4000|ft|m|order=flip|abbr=on}} above sea level. In the north, the Nyika Uplands rise as high as {{convert|8000|ft|m|order=flip|abbr=on}}. The area to the west of the lake in northern and central Malawi has been categorised by the World Wildlife Fund as part of the Central Zambezian miombo woodlands ecoregion.
South of the lake lie the Shire Highlands, with an elevation of {{convert|600|-|1600|m|ft|abbr=on}}, rising to elevations of {{convert|2130|and|3002|m|ft|abbr=on}} at the Zomba Plateau and Mulanje Massif respectively. The Kirk Range lies west of the Shire, and forms the border with Mozambique. In its middle stretch between Chigaru and Chikwawa, the Shire River drops almost {{convert|400|m|ft|abbr=on}} through {{convert|80|km|mi|abbr=on}} of gorges, rapids, and cataracts. In the extreme south, the Shire enters the Zambezi lowlands, and the elevation is only {{convert|60|-|90|m|ft|abbr=on}} above sea level.
Malawi has five national parks:
Climate
Malawi's climate is generally tropical. The altitude moderates what would be an otherwise equatorial climate. Between November and April the temperature is warm with equatorial rains and thunderstorms, with the storms reaching their peak severity in late March. After March, the rainfall rapidly diminishes and from May to September wet mists float from the highlands into the plateaus, with almost no rainfall during these months.
It is hot and humid from September to April along the lake and in the lower Shire Valley, with average daytime maximum around {{convert|27|to|29|°C|°F|1}}. Lilongwe is also hot and humid during these months, albeit far less than in the south. The rest of the country is warm during those months with a maximum temperature during the day around {{convert|25|°C}}. From June through August, the lake areas and south are comfortably warm, with daytime maxima of around {{convert|23|°C|1}}, but the rest of Malawi can be chilly at night, with temperatures ranging from {{convert|10|-|14|°C|°F|1}}. High altitude areas such as Mulanje and Nyika are often cold at night (around {{convert|6|-|8|°C|°F|1|disp=or}}) during June and July.
Karonga in the far north shows little variation in temperature with maximum daytime temperature remaining around {{convert|25|to|26|°C|°F|1}} all year round but is unusual in that April and May are the wettest times of the year due to strengthening southerly winds along the lake.
{{Weather box
|location = Lilongwe (extremes 1981–present)
|metric first = yes
|single line = yes
|width = auto
|collapsed = yes
|Jan record high C = 32.5
|Feb record high C = 31.2
|Mar record high C = 30.2
|Apr record high C = 30.5
|May record high C = 31.5
|Jun record high C = 28.0
|Jul record high C = 29.2
|Aug record high C = 29.5
|Sep record high C = 33.1
|Oct record high C = 34.5
|Nov record high C = 34.2
|Dec record high C = 32.4
|year record high C = 34.5
|Jan high C = 24.8
|Feb high C = 24.9
|Mar high C = 24.7
|Apr high C = 24.7
|May high C = 23.2
|Jun high C = 22.0
|Jul high C = 21.4
|Aug high C = 22.6
|Sep high C = 25.9
|Oct high C = 27.4
|Nov high C = 27.3
|Dec high C = 25.6
|year high C = 24.6
|Jan mean C = 21.2
|Feb mean C = 21.1
|Mar mean C = 21.1
|Apr mean C = 20.2
|May mean C = 18.3
|Jun mean C = 16.2
|Jul mean C = 16.1
|Aug mean C = 17.3
|Sep mean C = 20.6
|Oct mean C = 22.4
|Nov mean C = 22.9
|Dec mean C = 21.8
|year mean C = 19.8
|Jan low C = 18.2
|Feb low C = 17.7
|Mar low C = 17.3
|Apr low C = 15.8
|May low C = 13.1
|Jun low C = 10.1
|Jul low C = 9.9
|Aug low C = 11.1
|Sep low C = 13.8
|Oct low C = 16.8
|Nov low C = 18.5
|Dec low C = 18.3
|year low C = 15.1
|Jan record low C = 11.8
|Feb record low C = 11.7
|Mar record low C = 11.3
|Apr record low C = 8.1
|May record low C = 3.0
|Jun record low C = 0.5
|Jul record low C = 0.1
|Aug record low C = 1.4
|Sep record low C = 5.1
|Oct record low C = 7.9
|Nov record low C = 10.0
|Dec record low C = 11.8
|year record low C = 0.1
|precipitation colour = green
|Jan precipitation mm = 223
|Feb precipitation mm = 187
|Mar precipitation mm = 128
|Apr precipitation mm = 44
|May precipitation mm = 12
|Jun precipitation mm = 1
|Jul precipitation mm = 0
|Aug precipitation mm = 0
|Sep precipitation mm = 1
|Oct precipitation mm = 10
|Nov precipitation mm = 63
|Dec precipitation mm = 199
|year precipitation mm = 869
|unit precipitation days = 0.1 mm
|Jan precipitation days = 18
|Feb precipitation days = 16
|Mar precipitation days = 15
|Apr precipitation days = 8
|May precipitation days = 4
|Jun precipitation days = 1
|Jul precipitation days = 1
|Aug precipitation days = 1
|Sep precipitation days = 0
|Oct precipitation days = 2
|Nov precipitation days = 8
|Dec precipitation days = 17
|year precipitation days = 91
|Jan humidity = 83
|Feb humidity = 83
|Mar humidity = 82
|Apr humidity = 78
|May humidity = 74
|Jun humidity = 69
|Jul humidity = 65
|Aug humidity = 60
|Sep humidity = 52
|Oct humidity = 53
|Nov humidity = 62
|Dec humidity = 78
|year humidity = 69
|Jan sun = 136.4
|Feb sun = 144.1
|Mar sun = 170.5
|Apr sun = 213.0
|May sun = 263.5
|Jun sun = 243.0
|Jul sun = 241.8
|Aug sun = 263.5
|Sep sun = 294.0
|Oct sun = 282.1
|Nov sun = 234.0
|Dec sun = 139.5
|year sun =
|Jand sun = 4.4
|Febd sun = 5.1
|Mard sun = 5.5
|Aprd sun = 7.1
|Mayd sun = 8.5
|Jund sun = 8.1
|Juld sun = 7.8
|Augd sun = 8.5
|Sepd sun = 9.8
|Octd sun = 9.1
|Novd sun = 7.8
|Decd sun = 4.5
|yeard sun = 7.2
|source 1 = Deutscher Wetterdienst
{{cite web
| url = http://www.dwd.de/DWD/klima/beratung/ak/ak_675860_kt.pdf
| title = Klimatafel von Lilongwe (Int. Flugh. Kamuzu) / Malawi
| work = Baseline climate means (1961-1990) from stations all over the world
| publisher = Deutscher Wetterdienst
| language = de
| access-date = 10 August 2016}}
|source 2 = Meteo Climat (record highs and lows)
{{cite web
| url = http://meteo-climat-bzh.dyndns.org/index.php?page=stati&id=1549
| title = Station Lilongwe
| publisher = Météo Climat
| language = fr
| access-date = 14 October 2016}}
|date= December 2012
}}
{{Weather box
|location = Blantyre (Chileka International Airport) 1961–1990, extremes 1939–present
|single line = Yes
|metric first = Yes
|width = auto
|collapsed =yes
|Jan record high C = 36.7
|Feb record high C = 37.4
|Mar record high C = 38.3
|Apr record high C = 33.8
|May record high C = 33.7
|Jun record high C = 31.7
|Jul record high C = 38.0
|Aug record high C = 33.3
|Sep record high C = 38.6
|Oct record high C = 39.5
|Nov record high C = 39.5
|Dec record high C = 36.5
|year record high C = 39.5
|Jan high C = 28.4
|Feb high C = 28.3
|Mar high C = 27.8
|Apr high C = 27.2
|May high C = 25.9
|Jun high C = 24.1
|Jul high C = 23.9
|Aug high C = 26.1
|Sep high C = 29.2
|Oct high C = 31.3
|Nov high C = 30.7
|Dec high C = 29.2
|year high C = 27.7
|Jan mean C = 23.5
|Feb mean C = 23.4
|Mar mean C = 23.2
|Apr mean C = 22.2
|May mean C = 20.3
|Jun mean C = 18.5
|Jul mean C = 18.4
|Aug mean C = 20.0
|Sep mean C = 23.1
|Oct mean C = 25.0
|Nov mean C = 25.0
|Dec mean C = 24.0
|year mean C = 22.2
|Jan low C = 20.1
|Feb low C = 19.9
|Mar low C = 19.3
|Apr low C = 17.9
|May low C = 15.6
|Jun low C = 13.6
|Jul low C = 13.3
|Aug low C = 14.5
|Sep low C = 17.1
|Oct low C = 19.5
|Nov low C = 20.3
|Dec low C = 20.2
|year low C = 17.6
|Jan record low C = 10.2
|Feb record low C = 14.0
|Mar record low C = 15.8
|Apr record low C = 9.6
|May record low C = 9.1
|Jun record low C = 6.0
|Jul record low C = 9.0
|Aug record low C = 10.0
|Sep record low C = 7.6
|Oct record low C = 9.5
|Nov record low C = 11.6
|Dec record low C = 14.0
|year record low C = 6.0
|precipitation colour = green
|Jan precipitation mm = 198.0
|Feb precipitation mm = 181.4
|Mar precipitation mm = 152.0
|Apr precipitation mm = 45.9
|May precipitation mm = 9.9
|Jun precipitation mm = 2.1
|Jul precipitation mm = 2.4
|Aug precipitation mm = 1.2
|Sep precipitation mm = 3.5
|Oct precipitation mm = 29.2
|Nov precipitation mm = 93.0
|Dec precipitation mm = 178.0
|year precipitation mm = 896.6
|Jan humidity = 79
|Feb humidity = 80
|Mar humidity = 78
|Apr humidity = 75
|May humidity = 69
|Jun humidity = 66
|Jul humidity = 64
|Aug humidity = 50
|Sep humidity = 52
|Oct humidity = 53
|Nov humidity = 61
|Dec humidity = 75
|year humidity = 67
|unit precipitation days = 0.3 mm
|Jan precipitation days = 16
|Feb precipitation days = 14
|Mar precipitation days = 12
|Apr precipitation days = 6
|May precipitation days = 2
|Jun precipitation days = 2
|Jul precipitation days = 2
|Aug precipitation days = 1
|Sep precipitation days = 2
|Oct precipitation days = 4
|Nov precipitation days = 8
|Dec precipitation days = 14
|year precipitation days = 83
|Jan sun = 198.4
|Feb sun = 182.0
|Mar sun = 217.0
|Apr sun = 237.0
|May sun = 260.4
|Jun sun = 237.0
|Jul sun = 232.3
|Aug sun = 260.4
|Sep sun = 270.0
|Oct sun = 275.9
|Nov sun = 228.0
|Dec sun = 198.4
|year sun = 2797.0
|Jand sun = 6.4
|Febd sun = 6.5
|Mard sun = 7.0
|Aprd sun = 7.9
|Mayd sun = 8.4
|Jund sun = 7.9
|Juld sun = 7.5
|Augd sun = 8.4
|Sepd sun = 9.0
|Octd sun = 8.9
|Novd sun = 7.6
|Decd sun = 6.4
|yeard sun = 7.7
|source 1 = NOAA{{cite web
| url = ftp://ftp.atdd.noaa.gov/pub/GCOS/WMO-Normals/TABLES/REG__I/MW/67693.TXT
| title = Chileka Climate Normals 1961–1990
| publisher = National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210601120620/ftp://ftp.atdd.noaa.gov/pub/GCOS/WMO-Normals/TABLES/REG__I/MW/67693.TXT
| archive-date = 2021-06-01
| url-status = dead
| access-date = 8 March 2015}}
|source 2 = Meteo Climat (record highs and lows)
{{cite web
| url = http://meteo-climat-bzh.dyndns.org/index.php?page=stati&id=1546
| title = Station Chileka
| publisher = Météo Climat
| language = fr
| access-date = 14 October 2016}}
|date=November 2011
}}
{{Weather box
|location = Karonga (1961-1990 normals)
|single line = Yes
|metric first = Yes
|width = auto
|collapsed = Yes
|Jan high C = 29.6
|Feb high C = 29.6
|Mar high C = 29.3
|Apr high C = 29.0
|May high C = 28.7
|Jun high C = 27.6
|Jul high C = 27.3
|Aug high C = 28.3
|Sep high C = 30.6
|Oct high C = 32.5
|Nov high C = 32.4
|Dec high C = 30.5
|year high C = 29.6
|Jan mean C = 24.9
|Feb mean C = 25.0
|Mar mean C = 24.7
|Apr mean C = 24.6
|May mean C = 23.6
|Jun mean C = 22.2
|Jul mean C = 21.7
|Aug mean C = 22.4
|Sep mean C = 24.3
|Oct mean C = 26.4
|Nov mean C = 27.0
|Dec mean C = 25.7
|year mean C = 24.4
|Jan low C = 21.8
|Feb low C = 21.7
|Mar low C = 21.5
|Apr low C = 21.3
|May low C = 19.9
|Jun low C = 17.9
|Jul low C = 17.0
|Aug low C = 17.6
|Sep low C = 19.4
|Oct low C = 21.9
|Nov low C = 23.0
|Dec low C = 22.4
|year low C = 20.4
|precipitation colour = green
|Jan precipitation mm = 132.3
|Feb precipitation mm = 120.0
|Mar precipitation mm = 206.0
|Apr precipitation mm = 130.0
|May precipitation mm = 19.4
|Jun precipitation mm = 0.8
|Jul precipitation mm = 0.8
|Aug precipitation mm = 0.3
|Sep precipitation mm = 0.0
|Oct precipitation mm = 1.3
|Nov precipitation mm = 39.4
|Dec precipitation mm = 149.0
|year precipitation mm = 799.3
|Jan humidity = 79
|Feb humidity = 80
|Mar humidity = 82
|Apr humidity = 80
|May humidity = 74
|Jun humidity = 66
|Jul humidity = 65
|Aug humidity = 64
|Sep humidity = 60
|Oct humidity = 56
|Nov humidity = 62
|Dec humidity = 75
|year humidity = 70
|Jan sun = 176.7
|Feb sun = 170.8
|Mar sun = 207.7
|Apr sun = 222.0
|May sun = 254.2
|Jun sun = 264.0
|Jul sun = 285.2
|Aug sun = 306.9
|Sep sun = 306.0
|Oct sun = 319.3
|Nov sun = 273.0
|Dec sun = 213.9
|year sun = 2999.7
|Jand sun = 5.7
|Febd sun = 6.1
|Mard sun = 6.7
|Aprd sun = 7.4
|Mayd sun = 8.2
|Jund sun = 8.8
|Juld sun = 9.2
|Augd sun = 9.9
|Sepd sun = 10.2
|Octd sun = 10.3
|Novd sun = 9.1
|Decd sun = 6.9
|yeard sun = 8.2
|source 1 = NOAA{{Cite FTP | url = ftp://ftp.atdd.noaa.gov/pub/GCOS/WMO-Normals/TABLES/REG__I/MW/67423.TXT
| server = National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
| title = Karonga Climate Normals 1961–1990
| access-date = 8 March 2015}}
|date=March 2015
}}
{{Weather box
|location = Chitipa (1961–1990 normals)
|metric first = Yes
|single line = Yes
|width = auto
|collapsed = Yes
|Jan high C = 26.2
|Feb high C = 26.4
|Mar high C = 26.1
|Apr high C = 25.6
|May high C = 24.8
|Jun high C = 23.7
|Jul high C = 23.5
|Aug high C = 24.9
|Sep high C = 27.7
|Oct high C = 29.9
|Nov high C = 29.6
|Dec high C = 27.0
|year high C = 26.3
|Jan mean C = 20.4
|Feb mean C = 20.4
|Mar mean C = 20.5
|Apr mean C = 19.9
|May mean C = 18.7
|Jun mean C = 17.2
|Jul mean C = 16.8
|Aug mean C = 18.2
|Sep mean C = 20.8
|Oct mean C = 22.9
|Nov mean C = 22.8
|Dec mean C = 20.9
|year mean C = 20.0
|Jan low C = 17.1
|Feb low C = 17.1
|Mar low C = 17.2
|Apr low C = 16.9
|May low C = 15.1
|Jun low C = 12.9
|Jul low C = 12.5
|Aug low C = 13.7
|Sep low C = 15.9
|Oct low C = 17.7
|Nov low C = 18.3
|Dec low C = 17.6
|year low C = 16.0
|precipitation colour = green
|Jan precipitation mm = 204.8
|Feb precipitation mm = 216.0
|Mar precipitation mm = 192.0
|Apr precipitation mm = 56.6
|May precipitation mm = 7.5
|Jun precipitation mm = 0.6
|Jul precipitation mm = 0.8
|Aug precipitation mm = 0.0
|Sep precipitation mm = 0.7
|Oct precipitation mm = 6.0
|Nov precipitation mm = 78.8
|Dec precipitation mm = 224.0
|year precipitation mm = 987.8
|Jan humidity = 83
|Feb humidity = 84
|Mar humidity = 84
|Apr humidity = 82
|May humidity = 77
|Jun humidity = 73
|Jul humidity = 70
|Aug humidity = 63
|Sep humidity = 55
|Oct humidity = 57
|Nov humidity = 61
|Dec humidity = 79
|year humidity = 72
|unit precipitation days = 0.3 mm
|Jan precipitation days = 21
|Feb precipitation days = 19
|Mar precipitation days = 19
|Apr precipitation days = 10
|May precipitation days = 3
|Jun precipitation days = 2
|Jul precipitation days = 2
|Aug precipitation days = 1
|Sep precipitation days = 1
|Oct precipitation days = 2
|Nov precipitation days = 7
|Dec precipitation days = 20
|year precipitation days = 107
|Jan sun = 142.6
|Feb sun = 137.2
|Mar sun = 173.6
|Apr sun = 213.0
|May sun = 260.4
|Jun sun = 282.0
|Jul sun = 300.7
|Aug sun = 310.0
|Sep sun = 297.0
|Oct sun = 291.4
|Nov sun = 234.0
|Dec sun = 167.4
|year sun = 2809.3
|Jand sun = 4.6
|Febd sun = 4.9
|Mard sun = 5.6
|Aprd sun = 7.1
|Mayd sun = 8.4
|Jund sun = 9.4
|Juld sun = 9.7
|Augd sun = 10.0
|Sepd sun = 9.9
|Octd sun = 9.4
|Novd sun = 7.8
|Decd sun = 5.4
|yeard sun = 7.7
|source 1 = NOAA{{Cite FTP | url = ftp://ftp.atdd.noaa.gov/pub/GCOS/WMO-Normals/TABLES/REG__I/MW/67421.TXT
| server = National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
| title = Chitipa Climate Normals 1961–1990
| accessdate = 10 August 2016}}
}}
{{Weather box
|location = Nkhata Bay, Malawi (1961–1990 normals)
|metric first = Yes
|single line = Yes
|width = auto
|collapsed = Yes
|Jan high C = 28.8
|Feb high C = 28.9
|Mar high C = 28.8
|Apr high C = 28.6
|May high C = 27.3
|Jun high C = 25.8
|Jul high C = 25.5
|Aug high C = 26.6
|Sep high C = 28.7
|Oct high C = 30.2
|Nov high C = 30.4
|Dec high C = 29.2
|year high C = 28.2
|Jan mean C = 24.7
|Feb mean C = 24.7
|Mar mean C = 24.4
|Apr mean C = 23.9
|May mean C = 22.1
|Jun mean C = 20.3
|Jul mean C = 19.9
|Aug mean C = 20.8
|Sep mean C = 22.8
|Oct mean C = 24.7
|Nov mean C = 25.6
|Dec mean C = 24.9
|year mean C = 23.2
|Jan low C = 21.1
|Feb low C = 21.1
|Mar low C = 20.8
|Apr low C = 20.0
|May low C = 17.9
|Jun low C = 15.7
|Jul low C = 15.2
|Aug low C = 15.6
|Sep low C = 17.4
|Oct low C = 19.8
|Nov low C = 21.2
|Dec low C = 21.3
|year low C = 18.9
|precipitation colour = green
|Jan precipitation mm = 224.2
|Feb precipitation mm = 200.7
|Mar precipitation mm = 358.0
|Apr precipitation mm = 283.0
|May precipitation mm = 134.0
|Jun precipitation mm = 37.2
|Jul precipitation mm = 32.5
|Aug precipitation mm = 5.2
|Sep precipitation mm = 3.2
|Oct precipitation mm = 14.0
|Nov precipitation mm = 118.0
|Dec precipitation mm = 247.0
|year precipitation mm = 1657.0
|Jan humidity = 84
|Feb humidity = 84
|Mar humidity = 85
|Apr humidity = 84
|May humidity = 81
|Jun humidity = 78
|Jul humidity = 75
|Aug humidity = 72
|Sep humidity = 69
|Oct humidity = 68
|Nov humidity = 75
|Dec humidity = 81
|year humidity = 78
|unit precipitation days = 0.3 mm
|Jan precipitation days = 19
|Feb precipitation days = 17
|Mar precipitation days = 20
|Apr precipitation days = 18
|May precipitation days = 10
|Jun precipitation days = 5
|Jul precipitation days = 4
|Aug precipitation days = 2
|Sep precipitation days = 1
|Oct precipitation days = 2
|Nov precipitation days = 8
|Dec precipitation days = 17
|year precipitation days = 123
|Jan sun = 170.5
|Feb sun = 159.6
|Mar sun = 195.3
|Apr sun = 192.0
|May sun = 238.7
|Jun sun = 237.0
|Jul sun = 254.2
|Aug sun = 288.3
|Sep sun = 300.0
|Oct sun = 313.1
|Nov sun = 264.0
|Dec sun = 201.5
|year sun = 2814.2
|Jand sun = 5.5
|Febd sun = 5.7
|Mard sun = 6.3
|Aprd sun = 6.4
|Mayd sun = 7.7
|Jund sun = 7.9
|Juld sun = 8.2
|Augd sun = 9.3
|Sepd sun = 10.0
|Octd sun = 10.1
|Novd sun = 8.8
|Decd sun = 6.5
|yeard sun = 7.7
|source 1 = NOAA{{Cite FTP | url = ftp://ftp.atdd.noaa.gov/pub/GCOS/WMO-Normals/TABLES/REG__I/MW/67493.TXT
| server = National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
| title = Nkhata Bay Climate Normals 1961–1990
| accessdate = 8 March 2015}}
|date=June 2014
}}
Area
The total area of the country is {{convert|118,484|km2|sqmi|abbr=on}}, but this includes {{convert|24,404|km2|sqmi|abbr=on}} of water surface, mainly composed of Lake Malawi, but there are other sizeable lakes, such as Lake Malombe, Lake Chilwa and Lake Chiuta. The land area is 94,080 km².
The country is dominated by Lake Malawi, which drains into the Zambezi River through the Shire River. As a result, the whole of the country, except for one eastern district, is part of the Zambezi drainage system. Lake Chiuta and the surrounding plain is drained by the Lugenda river, which is part of the Ruvuma River drainage system. Lake Chilwa, about {{convert|35|km|mi|abbr=on}} south of Lake Chiuta, is unusual as it has no outlet although when it overflows it flows into Lake Chiuta through a swampy plain. High rates of evaporation ensure that the lake seldom fills up – much of the lake is only 1 metre deep or less.
Environment – current issues:
Deforestation; land degradation; water pollution from agricultural runoff, sewage, industrial wastes; siltation of spawning grounds endangers fish populations
Environment – international agreements:
party to:
Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified:
Extreme points
This is a list of the extreme points of Malawi, the points that are farther north, south, east or west than any other location.
- Northernmost point – the tripoint with Tanzania and Zambia, Northern Region
- Easternmost point – unnamed location on the border with Mozambique immediately south-west of the Mozambican village of Buena-uzi, Southern Region
- Southernmost point – unnamed location on the border with Mozambique immediately north-east of the Mozambican village of Jossene, Southern Region
- Westernmost point – unnamed location on the border with Zambia, immediately east of the Zambian town of Chipata, Central Region